The SADC Secretariat in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP-SA), is organizing the 6th SADC Multi-Stakeholder Water Dialogue to be held on 1st and 2nd October 2013 at Inter-Continental Hotel in Lusaka, Zambia.The SADC Multi-stakeholder Water Dialogue is a region-wide initiative that brings together decision and policy makers across economic and development sectors, as well as from different levels of governance, to engage on the region’s development challenges.
The 6th SADC Multi-Stakeholder Water Dialogue will be held under the theme, Watering Development in SADC: Exploring the Water, Energy and Food Nexus.The dialogue will facilitate a multi-stakeholder discussion on how to address the interconnections within the Water, Energy and Food nexus.Water, Energy and Food are connected in important ways and each sector has the potential to help or harm the other, hence the dialogue will serve as a mechanism for raising awareness of the Water, Energy and Food nexus on the policy making level to facilitate the promotion of greater collaboration across ministries and policy design implementation.
The prime target audience for the planned dialogue are Directors in Government Departments of Energy, Agriculture and Water Sectors. Other selected ministry representation in include Finance and Economic Planning, Health and Environment.
The Dialogue will also be attended by representatives from civil society, private sector, International Cooperation Partners (ICPs), institutions involved in research and development, and professional associations.
The Dialogue is aimed at:
- Creating awareness and understanding of the “Water, Energy and Food Nexus” and why it is important to focus on it.
- Establishing the role the private sector can play in the improvement of water, energy and food security
- Discussing concrete project examples from the region with a wide range of stakeholders from the three sectors, thus facilitating future collaboration and motivating political uptake of the nexus concept in Southern Africa.
- Ensuring that the nexus approach finds consideration at the highest level, in the countries and the region as well as ensuring that the regional perspective and cooperation are taken heed of when planning at national level.
The 6th SADC Multi-Stakeholder Water Dialogue is supported by the Government of Denmark through by the Royal Danish Embassy in Lusaka, the Government of Germany in delegated cooperation with the Governments of Australia (AUSaid) and the United Kingdom (UKaid) managed by GIZ.
Since 2007 SADC has conducted the Multi-stakeholder Water Dialogue as a platform for regional stakeholders to discuss and share experiences on different aspects of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).The Water Dialogues are held under the overall theme of Watering Development in SADC, and highlight how Integrated Water Resources Management approaches can address key aspects of socio-economic development and poverty reduction by ensuring a water secure region.
The 1st Dialogue in 2007, was held in Maputo, Mozambique under the theme, Watering Development in SADC: Beyond IWRM Concepts and the Converted, while the 2nd Dialogue in 2008, was held in Maseru, Lesotho under the theme, Watering Development in SADC: Rising above the Climate Change Threat – Towards Security.The 3rd Dialogue was in 2009, in Johannesburg, South Africa under theme, Watering Development in SADC: Surfacing of the Hidden Resource – Groundwater. The 4th Dialogue was in 2010, in Maun, Botswana under the theme, Watering Development in SADC: Toward Climate Resilience through Benefit Sharing.The 5th Dialogue was in 2011, in Ezulwini Valley, Swaziland, under the theme, Watering development in SADC: Financing Water for Climate Resilience to Ensure Regional Security.
